Partha
Partha S''ome have called us tyrants in the past. Overlords, without concern for its subjects. But who built the roads upon which we now travel? Who repelled the barbarians hordes? Who pushed back the wicked fae into their eastern forests? It was us. Call us what you will, it matters not. We brought peace and progress to this world, and we do not concern ourselves with the opinions of lesser nations.'' Summary Partha is a human nation of considerable power in the cold and damp hills of the north-central Mainlund, but their power now is much less than in previous eras, when their influence stretched over almost all lands west of the Kharos Mountains and the Forests of Ashtar Their's was the first modern "empire" in the land, and they extract untold wealth from their conquests, fueling urban growth in their homeland that is practically unheralded in the rest of the known world. This is a nation now densely packed with hamlets and villages, with complex irrigation channels and other marvels of engineering to help their people. Their political powers have wanned, as well as their finances, due to factors like the emergence of other powerful trading nations, like Calcova and The Footlands, but they still continue to be viewed as the "center" of human civilization in the land. Geography Partha sits squarely in the north-central portion of the Mainlund, just touching the Iron-Sea Desert and its mountains on its western edge, encompassing Bauldor Lake (the largest freshwater lake on the continent) and the Vextius River. Its eastern edge stops several hundred miles short of the Kharos Mountains, and its northern border stretches out and around a small series of islands into the Northern Sea. The northern half of the land is bitterly cold with wet hills and forests, with the southern half turning more temperate the further south you travel. This nation shares a border with Garmond in the center of the Mainlund. The Northern Sea right above the Mainlund is notorious for its turbulent waves and brutal autumn storms. The land connects to the sea with a wall of very high, solid granite cliff faces, making ship-building a challenge. There are enough spots on the northern coastline where a shipyard can be safely established to satisfy the Parthian navy, however, but ships often have to travel many miles to find a safe port in this area. Racial Distribution Partha is comprised mostly with humans, a remnant group of the barbarians of an older time, who adapted to the cold and wet environment in the north-central Mainlund. These humans make up easily 75% of the population at any given time. Small numbers of Sylvan Elves and halflings reside in Partha, along with a small line of gnomes whose ancestors cam directly to the Mainlund instead of settling in Calcova. Due to political tensions with that island nation of gnomes, no actual citizens of Calcova or gnomes of those families there would be permitted to live in Partha. Strangely for a human-land, about 7% of the official population is made up of semi-civilized goblins. These goblins live in large extended agrarian families out in rural portions of the land, as well as in small pockets within the slums of Partha's larger cities. The goblins, which all originally hailed from one goblin tribe, are tolerated by the Parthians, but not granted citizenship, and have many restrictions placed on them. However, they are allowed to accumulate land and wealth without undo persecution (provided they pay their taxes), so the goblins generally view their human landlords in a favorable light. These goblins came to dwell in Partha after betraying the orcish army they were originally attached to that the Parthian Empire was fighting, and were granted land and gold by the humans in exchange for their duplicity. They now dwell in Goblin City. History When the human barbarian tribes united under a common banner of conquest during the Barbarian Era on the Mainlund, several distinct groups emerged from these nomads to establish permanent societies in the north & central parts of the continent One particular group of barbarians learned how to settle into the cold, damp hills and forests of the northern coastline of the land. These people eventually established a racial identity all their own, and started identifying themselves as "Parthians". Their land eventually came to be known as "Partha". As the Parthians abandoned their nomadic roots (along with most of the other barbarians in this Settlement Era), their leaders fought some relatively minor squabbles to decide whom the King of the Parthians should be, as was common in other barbarian lands, but the Parthians were the first nation to emerge as a united force from the remnants of the Barbarian Hordes. The Parthians realized early on that strength would be found in unity with each other, a trait which continues to this day. They adopted systems of government which were quite advanced for barbarian peoples at this time, which allowed for non-violent shifts in power to occur at the burgeoning national level. While not quite a democracy, their governmental structure was merit-based, and as long as the major political figure heads (old tribal and clan leaders) all agreed to the 'rules', bloodshed was kept to a bare minimum. To the southeast of Partha at this time, was another burgeoning human-barbarian civilization: the land of Hargoth The Hargoths were a barbarian tribe not all that different ethnically from the Parthians, but a bit more savage and ruthless in their dealings with their neighbors. Their ancestors were all proud nomadic raiders from the grassy plains of the central Mainlund, and so they had no compunction about raiding a neighbors countryside for provisions, gold, women, or plain sport. The Parthians recognized these rough cousins as a threat, and in one of the first 'modern' military actions, launched a preemptive war against the Hargoths after the Hargoths had sacked a few minor villages on the south-east Parthian border. The conflict was initially viewed as another barbarian squabble by the dwarves of Kharos and the elves of Sylivas who had seen many such wars before, but the Parthians took the Hargoths, and virtually all other observers, by surprise by coming to war with a highly trained and disciplined army, lead by a thoroughly modern general named Praxius Kalparnius. Instead of wild, brawling berserkers leading the fight, as was the custom of virtually all the human barbarian groups just a generation or two before, the Parthians brought down their army onto the Hargoths with surgical precision. Their infantry units acted as one powerful formation instead of dozens of flailing warriors, their scouts reported details back to the main camp with sophisticated communications, like encoded lamp flashes at night, and their engineers provided reliable, fast-loading siege engines, like catapults and ballistas The newly formed nation of Hargoth was smashed completely in a manner of weeks. The women and children of Hargoth who lived through the conflict were absorbed into the mainstream Parthian society by way of indentured servitude. They were removed from their lands and sent to work as servants and housekeepers deep in the interior of Partha, and within a generation, had both forgotten their previous Hargoth customs, and had been granted their freedom to become citizens of Partha (albeit at a low caste). Partha dealt with a few other very minor barbarian groups on their borders much the same way, with a brutal military routing followed by an absorption of the survivors into their culture. This period of strength marks what most historians refer to as the Parthian Empire Era, where these pragmatic people tamed what was left of the barbarians in the central and north Mainlund, along with pacifying the Fae Hordes of the East. Following the smashing of the Hargoths, the Parthians continued their conquest further south, into the hilly land now knows as Garmond, and to the south-west into the dry plains of Bhesina The "Garmonders" were the families of Parthian blood whom occupied the lands taken from the Hargoths, and these people spread south to the Great Basin Lake. Various other barbarian tribes and families were absorbed into the Garmonders much the same way as was done to the Hargoths in Partha, and eventually, the Garmonders were the main ethnic group in the central hills of the Mainlund. These settlers were not entirely happy being under a government in Partha so far away to the north and so "civilized" compared to themselves, so a small series of revolts would break out at this period in time, but each time Parthian solders were successful in quelling the rebellions Usually, just the leaders of the rebels would be executed, due to a somewhat benevolent Parthian general in command of the region. This situation was not the case to the west in Bhesina, as the general in charge of that province of Partha viewed the humans there (the Bhesinians, who were of a completely different ethnic line) as primitive fanatical savages, and had no qualms about killing entire villages there if one man among them happened to attack a Parthian soldier. This policy led to several decades of guerrilla warfare between Bhesinian militias and the Parthian forces stationed in the lands. Parthia did, however, bring much more modern technologies related to metal-working, literature, and more to the Bhesinians, a fact that would be down-played later on as Bhesina exerted more and more independence from Partha. In addition to intensive efforts in Garmond and Bhesina, the Parthians also sent military forces into the unclaimed territories of the central Mainlund to pacify the remaining nomadic barbarians tribes that were left over from the great Barbarian Horde Era. They smashed what was a somewhat established community of nomadic raiders living on the edge of the Iron-Sea desert whom were raiding into north-central Bhesina, as well as eliminating most of the fearsome "Bear Warrior" barbarians whom lived in the western foothills of the Kharos Mountains. The island of "Coldlund" off their northern coastline had been home to a mostly-peaceful group of semi-arctic barbarian, but the Parthians evicted those people to set up whaling and fishing ships on that rocky isle. Around this time, a powerful band of orc "scorchers" (mounted, mobile bandits) from the hills of the Kharos Valley managed to unite all the smaller tribes of orcs into a large coalition, led by a brilliant warlord named Gkarr of the Black Tusk. The smaller bands of orcs had plagued the region for generations, but generally kept each other in check with constant intra-racial battles for leadership. Gkarr united the tribes and turned their attention outward, towards the human settlements to the east of Partha's official boundary, where the orcs powerful worg mounts could sprint away into the open hills to escape a pursuing army. The Parthian's regular cavalry and infantry forces chased the incredibly mobile orc army for years, as it would appear on the horizon seemingly out of nowhere and destroy and loot entire villages overnight. The people of the region demanded the Parthian government deal with this problem. Having failed to catch and destroy the orcs in a traditional military battle, the Parthians instead turned to tactical diplomacy. A small contingent of goblins traveled with the orcs to do menial tasks (and to pick up the scraps from battles and raids), but these pitiful goblins had no great love for their brutal orc lords, whom had no compunction about punishing them for the smallest of offenses. The Parthians lured the leaders of the goblin tribe to meet with them, where they offered them gold and small land claims in Partha if they betrayed the orcs by letting the Parthians know where the orcs would make their next encampment. The goblins accepted the deal, and several weeks later, the orcs raided a town in the Daegon region and made their escape to a "secret" valley once they had shaken off the Parthian cavalry who had been summoned to chase them out of the smoldering remains of the town. Unfortunately for Gkarr, his scorchers had no sooner set up their temporary encampment in this hidden valley when the Parthians sprung from hiding as they encircled the orcs, destroying their mobility and ability to escape. The orcs were summarily executed in the ensuing bloodbath, and the goblin tribe migrated northwest to Partha, where they received their promised allotment of gold and several small (and mostly shabby) farms in the southern edge of that kingdom The human citizens of Partha there were none too happy about the arrangement brokered by the central government, but eventually learned to deal with their goblin neighbors, who, for their part, did eventually abandon their thieving culture and became farmers and laborers. Another common problem facing all the human groups of the central mainlund at this time was the marauding faerie people of the "Mystic East", which was the general name for the eastern half of the continent, which was populated by the fae races (mostly Mur ain, Redcaps, and Chambhlis . For as long as anyone could remember, there would be several years of peace and silence along the border between the humans and the fae, and then several years of near-constant pillaging as bands of terrible fae warriors would stream out of places like the Forests of Ashtar, and from behind the Kharos Mountains to sack human settlements. At this point in Parthian history, the Mur-ain of Northpoint were preoccupied fighting a brutal civil war amongst themselves, and the Chambhlis people had settled into what appeared to be a mostly peaceable agrarian society right on the west of the Kharos Mountains (to the north-east of modern day Garmond). The Redcaps were still marauding, but mostly into the southern lands of the Mainlund (the Footlands). Despite this relative peace, the Parthians once again decided to preemptively remove the threat of the fae from their eastern and southern borders, and launched an assault on the Chambhlis, utterly annihilating these newly-peaceful people in less than 4 months time. They immediately smashed into the Mur-ain outposts on the west of the Kharos, and pushed back the Mur-ain forces well east of the Kharos Mountains. To the south, they routed the Redcaps so badly that those people withdrew into the deepest, darkest parts of the Forests of Ashtar, and did not emerge for many, many years. Years before, near the end of the Settlement Era, the dwarves of Kharos had been ejected from their mountain halls by the Arachnids, a bizarre race of bipedal insect wizards. The dwarves had spilled out onto the central Mainlund and had been fighting a bitter war amongst themselves. One clan, the Kharzhaks had nearly wiped out the others, and had moved north to re-settle on the island they dubbed "New Kharsis . The dwarves they nearly eliminated, the Numbhar clan, had been dispersed throughout the Mainlund, but had mostly wandered north into Parthian territory, or near it. This had never sat well with the Parthians, who mistrusted the dwarves, so at this point in history, the Parthian government officially gives notice to the Numbhar living within its borders that they need to migrate further east, into the desolate Iron-Sea Desert. Any lands lawfully purchased by dwarves in Partha were to be returned for "fair compensation", although some greedy Parthian officials used this policy to snatch up dwarvin titled lands at a fraction of their value. The dwarves, having seen how the Parthians had no qualms about eliminating their Fae neighbors when given the chance, decided to move on, en mass, to the Iron-Sea, but some bitterness about this ejection remains to this day. Several decades after the Fae Assaults and the Ejection of the Numbhars the Parthians enter what would be called the "Late Parthian Era", where their dominance of world politics starts to wane somewhat. A series of unusually violent revolts breaks out in Partha, with the main point of contention being how the wealth of the Empire was to be distributed, and how individual people could obtain lucrative "citizenship" within the Empire. Various factions arose and were crushed, but this consumed quite a bit of the nation's resources. The Ogre Kingdom of Gruthar always ambitious and greedy, took this time to carefully plot an assault on their principle rivals in world affairs, the Parthians. How wise it was remains to be decided, but the hot-tempered King of Gruthar sent an assassin to Partha to eliminate the newest Emperor there, an equally hot-tempered senator whom was pushing forth the idea of invading Calcova to remove the Ogre presence there. The Ogres had maintained a colony on the north-west side of that island for generations, but it was poorly managed, and never flourished. Likewise, the half-giant slaves that the Ogres had brought to Calcova to work the land had actually had a successful slave revolt and were living freely (albeit poorly) in the interior of the land. The assassin was, against all odds, successful in his attempt to kill the new Parthian Emperor, which was probably as much of a shock to the Ogres as it was to the Parthians. The Ogres often sent out assassination attempts (mostly unsuccessful) on various national leaders on the Mainlund, in an effort to remain viewed as the most aggressive and powerful nation, and they probably assumed this one would fail, but would spook Partha nonetheless. This killing provoked the Parthians into immediate and total war with Gruthar. However, as Partha did not possess an advanced navy, while Gruthar did, it was unclear where the fighting would take place. Partha started to organize its navel forces, but was caught off-guard by the emergence of a surprise force of Ogres secretly positioned in the foothills of the mountains west of Partha. The war between Partha and Gruthar dragged out over 3 long years, with the Parthians winning most of the infantry battles on land, and the Grutharian navy winning virtually all battles fought at sea, which occurred mostly in the Benuva Straits in between the Mainlund and Calcova. Eventually, both sides are forced to withdraw from the fight, as the stalemate reached its third year. During the final year of the war with Gruthar, Partha was forced to recall all but a shadow of its army from its territories in Garmond and Bhesina. The Bhesinians had been struggling under Parthian rule for generations, and took this opportunity to surprise the sparsely-equipped Parthian bases there with an organized assault. Previously their efforts had been almost entire a guerrilla war, but now their mounted archers took to the field and routed the Parthian soldiers to the man. The Bhesinians took no prisoners in this conquest, relishing in the chance to destroy their colonizers totally. The Parthians, taken aback by this, tried to muster an army to re-invade Bhesina, but were distracted by a similar revolt in Garmond. Over there, the freedom-loving Garmonders had also decided to throw off their Parthian chains, although they ended up doing so with less bloodshed overall. Any Parthian soldiers who surrendered in Garmond were allowed to return to Partha unharmed (as opposed to in Bhesina, where they were mostly executed on the spot). In the end, Partha could not muster a large enough army to re-take either land quick enough, and within a few years, both Bhesina and Garmond, now free of their heavy Parthian taxes, built up armies of a large enough size to give the Parthian's pause. Ultimately, Partha decided to not attack either, and eventually resumed fairly warm diplomatic relations with Garmond, going to far as to describe the Garmonders war of Independence as more of a misunderstanding and diplomatic failure rather than an insurrection. The Garmonders, for their part, accepted this narrative and resumed close ties with Partha. Bhesina stubbornly refuses any diplomatic gestures from Partha, however. As Partha was loosing its grip on Bhesina and Garmond, it searched out for another "bread basket" territory. The farmland in south Partha itself had been worn out by generations of farmers, and in the northern half of the land, the winters are too cold and icy to allow for a long growing season. Partha looked off its western shores to the island of Calcova at this time, which was a newly christened nation of gnomes and half-giants (strangely enough). The land itself was sparsely populated outside of the oldest gnomish cities there, so Partha sent some expeditionary forces up the eastern shore of the land in search of some farming land they could claim. Despite having just taxed their resources with their war with Gruthar, the Calcovian people eyed this Parthian advance with great suspicion and mistrust, and in a surprise move, the the Calcovian navy skirmished with the Parthian ships and beat them back to the Mainlund. Partha immediately began protesting that Calcova had attacked them unfairly, as the Calcovian nation did not encompass the entire island, and specifically the parts of the island that Partha was interested in. The Parthians might have geared up for another war (costly as it would have been to them) but the sudden emergence of the Calcovian Air Fleet caused widespread panic in the land. The gnomish engineers had figured out how to construct and sail very crude hot air balloons and also had very crude grenades of alchemist's fire which could be dropped from the balloons While the Air Fleet had an incredibly limited range, it could theoretically make it over Partha's capital city, Aergon if the winds were right, and this sent panic among the citizens, who convinced the Parthian Senators to make peace with Calcova, at least for the time being. Politics & National Relations Since the gnomish Air Fleet scare, Partha has turned its attention to creating a framework wherein the nations of the land can resolve their disputes in a sort of court system, instead of with bloodshed. This marks the start of the current era of history, known now as the "Federation Era", named after the group of leaders whom now meet in Partha (among other neutral locations) to discus trade and military disputes under a neutral arbitration system. How successful this will be, remains to be seen. Partha remains on excellent terms with Garmond (their close cousins), the Footlands, and New Kharsis. It buys a large portion of the food it needs for its cities from the bountiful fields of Garmond and the Footlands, and its also recently started ordering ships of war to be constructed in secret in the Footlands, away from the spying eyes of the Calcovians. Partha routes some of the agricultural purchases to New Kharsis (at a markup), and in exchange, purchases metal ore and finished products from the dwarves there. Partha's relations with Bhesina are currently very frosty, but not openly hostile. For the time, Partha has no plan to try to re-conquer their former territory, and the Bhesinians are pushing their boundaries outward, but not directly into Parthian territory. Likewise with the dwarves of the Iron-Sea Desert, there are tensions, but no real threat of war. Calcova and Partha continue to quarrel diplomatically over trade disputes. Specifically, the Straits of Benuva, which separate the Mainlund with Calcova, have become a crucial trade route, over which Calcova is in complete control. The Parthian merchants are being forced to pay taxed and tariffs to route their products through that area, and they are none to pleased with the situation. The Parthians, for several hundred years now, have had the technological advantage over all their rivals (except perhaps for the ships of Gruthar). They pioneered the construction of large siege engines during their height in the Parthian Era, and their ability to communicate over long distances via signaling lamps was ground-breaking. However, the gnomish engineers of Calcova took all those advances and improved upon them with gusto. Calcovan catapults and ballistas can fire farther than Parthian ones, their alchemists fire burns hotter and longer, and their air blimps are feats of engineering that Partha cannot currently begin to replicate. As such, the Parthians are extremely paranoid that Calcova, once they finish colonizing the whole of their island, will shift their eyes to the Mainlund, and will supplant Partha as the dominant force there. It would not take much at this point to ignite the Parthians to war with Calcova, over this fear. Culture & Customs The strength of the Parthian Army comes from a rigid military discipline, trained to adapt to any situation as needed. The Parthian soldiers move together as tight units. Their infantry, in particular, is legendary. They mostly wear medium-to-heavy armor, with small-to-medium shields, and each dozen or so men will form a tight unit (called a "squad"), wherein some members will carry large shields for defense, while some carry no shield, but instead a 2-handed halberd, which they can strike over the shield of the man in front. The other soldiers will be equipped with short swords and hammers, for dealing with unarmored or armored targets, respectively. The whole group moves together, on the vocal commands of the squadron leader, and their military tradition advocates dying together en mass over breaking formation. Parthians have advanced the field of civics, debate, and literature beyond their neighbors, and their merchants and leaders are known for sharp skills at the bargaining table. On a darker note, the finest assassins in the land are trained in Partha, often by the government itself. Cattle provide the primary source of protein for its people, with oxen, sheep and beaver also appearing on the table. Rye is a staple in the northern portion of the nation, with wheat in the southwest. The people of the northern coast often hunt whales and seals, and dog sized squirrels roam the forests of the east. Old cultural taboos bar the raising of domesticated birds, and most wild birds are not large enough to hunt. Salmon is popular, as are root vegetables and white beans. Spruce tips and caraway are a traditional seasoning, and beer is quite common throughout the land. Mushrooms are also prevalent, but only as a food for the very poor. Parthian law prohibits the possession of true slaves, but there is a long-term form of indentured servitude for a sub-class of citizens that is quite hard to escape from. Owning back to their imperialistic time, conquered people would be absorbed into the Parthian culture but not necessarily granted full citizenship. These half-citizens would be required to perform service to the state for a generation or two before obtaining their full rights, and this practice continues today with new immigrants who move into the urban cities of this nation. The goblin decedents of the tribe that came to dwell in Partha after betraying their orccish lords have become a permanent fixture in Parthian society as both simple rural laborers, and also as crafty urban merchants and swindlers. In the larger cities in the land, the best underground gambling halls (technically illegal) are operated by goblin proprietors, whom also usually can tell (for a price) where a person might be able to purchase forged traveling papers, or prohibited alchemical ungents In the country-side, its not unusual for a large farm to have a small family of goblins living on premise to assist in the work, or share-crop for themselves. On a national level, goblin clerks and go-betweens are often employed by the various senators and governors when unofficial back-room deals are negotiated. Despite its prosperity, Partha boasts some of the known world's largest impoverished urban centers. As the central government moved their farmers into cities at height of empire to engage in mechanical professions like black-smithing, road-building, citadel-construction, and other urban-planning endeavors. These sections of the cities were not the result of natural trade or farming, as they were ordered by governmental decree, and so are wholly dependent upon the central government to provide spending projects. The cities of these unfortunate districts and neighborhoods practically never own the land itself or any real, large assets. Governmental revenues have dropped now without new expansions and yet Partha still taxes the newer non-wealthy cities heavy to fuel to military industrial machine, so the industrial districts have been caught squarely in the financial pinch. The first of these districts to formally revolt was sacked and destroyed almost entirely, but this was highly embarrassing and expensive for Partha. 7-8 other large neighborhoods and districts are current in differing states of discord but Partha cannot openly crush them without looking weak or desperate, so they are trying to cajole /or slowly starve them into compliance. These urban sections are riff with revolutionary thinking of a fairly very diverse nature, but the most common thought is that the nation needs to reverse its influence in the world and become more isolationist, while also breaking Partha into a series of equal City-States with partnerships between the large urban centers. Secretly, the bulk of the original philosophers and priests who suggested such a radical plan were funded and planted by Gruthar to stir up thoughts of rebellion inside the nation at large. Famous Figures & Groups Praxius Kalparnius was the first military commander for the Parthians whom took on the title of "General", thus starting a long tradition in Parthian military lore. He was an exceptionally intelligent man, born during the period when the Parthians were shaking off their ancient barbarian ways and becoming modern with permanent cities, steel-working, and road and bridge-building. He learned the barbarian ways of war early in his life, and as a young commander, led a successful group of warriors into battle against other Parthian rivals, as well as outside barbarian forces. By his early 20's he was being groomed to become a leader in Parthian society, and he was declared magistrate over several townships and counties in the south-eastern section of the burgeoning nation. He studied dwarvin engineering from the Kharzhak Dwarves whom were migrating through nearby areas, and at some point, started theorizing that an organized infantry force of highly trained, cohesive soldiers would be the perfect foil for the hordes of wild barbarian warriors whom occasionally strayed into his area, looking to pillage and loot. His early experiments with this strategy were met with distrust by the standard military leaders of the day, whom were barely more organized than the barbarian raiders themselves, but his theories proved sound, and he routinely repelled barbarian raider forces much larger than the small squads he had at his command. Having proven his theories, he was selected by the Parthian military to help lead a full-scale invasion of the land of Hargoth, to the south-east of Partha. Despite having roughly a half dozen other veteran military leaders as his peers in this conflict, Kalparnius emerged almost instantly as the true leader of the force, as his troops were wildly successful at attacking Hargoth in devastating fashion. He returned to Partha as a hero to the troops and to the popular people, and his visions for an organized, efficient, professional, hierarchical military were put into place immediately. This mold would serve the Parthian army until the modern times. Kalparnius himself took on the role of "Pontifex Lordus" (chief priest of the state religion) shortly after Hargoth, and died of intestinal disorders at the age of 39. He is venerated as a near-god among Parthians today, for both creating the modern military structure, and for being an unwavering champion of Parthian social justice and order. Temput Belujoy has become a leader of the separatist movement in Lumbre, and it is likely that his days among the living are numbered. The Parthian government does not take lightly the threat of civil war or revolution, and he has been the most vocal of several small rebel leaders in Lumbre. This state of Partha is the most likely to succeed, and has been looking for the opportunity for several decades. Temput was a local militia leader that was discharged honorably after several years of service to the Empire, and has since recruited most if the men he served over to join his growing troupe of rebels, who have been living on the very eastern fringe of Partha, and enacting their own local laws. Belujoy is currently being tracked by a Parthian assassin, who will attempt to dispatch the former magistrate upon command from the capitol. Religion The orderly state of Partha has a very clearly defined and regulated religious system, supported by the state and well liked by the people. It is headed by Vectisious god of Laws and Justice, who hands down punishment through the his high priests, who serve as judges in the land. He is served by Rungalon god of knowledge and wizards, who are supported by the state and used as law enforcers. Cortis is the god of armor and fighting, who serves as Vectisious's enforcer for military conquests and is patron god of the army, navy and sheriffs. Lormondious is the god of murder and personal strength, and is tolerated by Vectisious for his loyalty to the established order. he is patron god of the state supported assassins, who prowl the country, as well as foreign capitols, silencing uprisings or rebels. This is the official group of deities for the nation and is well respected by the orderly citizens of the cities, but other gods are revered by the rural people of the land. Girilious was originally a god of mischief among the farmers of Presbin, but has grown into a patron of thieves throughout Partha, much to the disapproval of the government. The current law states that any follower of Girilious shall have his left hand and right ear removed, so that all might know of his roguish intentions. Hess is an evil god of power and greed that has emerged from the wealthy merchant class. He promotes civilized robbery and swindling, and even merchants who don't directly break the law still pray to him to make their deals better. This practice is frowned upon by the nobility, but they tolerate it since the merchant class provides them with income from trade taxes and are loyal to the empire. However, the most dangerous new god to the established order is Banora a country goddess of lust, pleasure, sex and commoners. She emerged from old farmers rituals of fertility and has gained a wide spread following throughout the region. The official position of the government is to destroy any sign of her worship, but many of the soldiers sent to enforce the law come from rural areas that worship her, resulting in more than one blind eye turned toward her temples or congregations. Her edict promotes the idea that the most rural communities should break off from the main nation and rule themselves, which is the main reason for the government persecution of her followers.